No qualifications? No problem thanks to new WPD training scheme

Do you enjoy working outdoors? Are you good at working in a team? Do you think it’s important to keep the lights on? If so, Western Power Distribution (WPD) would like to hear from you.

The company, which is responsible for distributing electricity to homes and businesses across the Midlands, the South West of England and South Wales, has launched a new training scheme, specifically aimed at people who have left school without or with minimal qualifications.

Power Network Craft Assistants (PNCAs) will work on the company’s 225,000km network of underground cables. They will spend 12 to 15 months earning a salary while they are being trained. Once their training is finished they will be qualified as Craft Attendants and from there further opportunities are available if they want to follow them.

There are 16 roles available and applicants must be available to start on June 6. The closing date for applications is April 22.

WPD’s Employee Relations Manager Ian Payne explained: “At WPD we pride ourselves on serving our customers and we see the PNCA scheme as another way of helping the communities we serve. We know that school doesn’t suit some people but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a role for them here - the drive to work safely, fix a customer’s problem, deal with what the weather throws at you and work as part of a team are the strengths we’re looking for.”

The first two weeks of the scheme are spent at a training school as you learn about safety – after that it’s all about learning in the field with periods of additional further training. Your expenses are covered and you’ll earn while you learn.

“Our own net zero ambitions and those of our customers mean this is the most exciting time in the electricity distribution industry for decades,” added Ian. “We are asking our network to do things that have never been done before. At the same time we have to keep customers’ lights on and ensure no one gets left behind in this changing world. When it comes to playing a vital role in people’s lives there’s nothing quite like it.”

PNCA roles are available at the following depots: two at Birmingham, Hinckley, Kettering and Swansea, and one at Cardiff, Cwmbran, Exeter, Gloucester, Plymouth, Redruth, Tipton and Weston-Super-Mare.

Apply here: Western Power Distribution Careers - Operational Jobs at Western Power Distribution across South Wales, Midlands, & South West UK